FOR and SINCE

Some facts about Professor Fuzzy:

Professor Fuzzy has been playing the violin since 1963.
(Professor Fuzzy is not a young man.)
Unfortunately, this does not mean he plays well it only means he has been playing the violin for a very long time.

We often use for and since when talking about time.

When to use for:
General periods of time. A period from start to end.
For 5 minutes
For 5 days
For a long time
(Not everyone who hears him play believes it but Professor Fuzzy has been playing the violin for a long time.)

When to use since:
(Specific times) A point up to now.
Since 1963
Since November
Since last week
(Some people think Professor Fuzzy has only been playing the violin since last week.)

A PROFESSOR FUZZY TIP:
Think of the “S” in Since as “Specific”
We use “since” when talking about a specific time.

For or Since Quiz
Professor Fuzzy has been playing the violin (for/since)* more than 40 years.
Professor Fuzzy has been playing the violin (for/since)** 1963.

A final word from Professor Fuzzy:

“Your 60 seconds are finished and you now have proof…
You CAN learn English a minute a day!”

Time to go to the next chapter… the clock is ticking!

*   for
** since
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